81 FR 45296 - M&T/Llano Seco Fish Screen Facility Long-Term Protection Project; Notice of Intent for Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 134 (July 13, 2016)

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), are preparing a joint environmental impact statement/ environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the proposed M&T/Llano Seco Fish Screen Facility Long-Term Protection Project in Butte County, California. This notice advises the public that we intend to gather information necessary to prepare an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We encourage the public and other agencies to participate in the NEPA scoping process by sending written suggestions and information on the issues and concerns that should be addressed in the draft EIS/EIR, including the range of alternatives, appropriate mitigation measures, and the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45296-45302]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16543]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-R-2016-N096]; [FXRS12610800000V2-167-FF08RSRC00]


M&T/Llano Seco Fish Screen Facility Long-Term Protection Project; 
Notice of Intent for Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent; notice of public scoping meetings; request 
for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in 
coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife 
(CDFW), are preparing a joint environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the proposed M&T/Llano Seco 
Fish Screen Facility Long-Term Protection Project in Butte County, 
California. This notice advises the public that we intend to gather 
information necessary to prepare an EIS pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We encourage the public and other 
agencies to participate in the NEPA scoping process by sending written 
suggestions and information on the issues and concerns that should be 
addressed in the draft EIS/EIR, including the range of alternatives, 
appropriate mitigation measures, and the nature and extent of potential 
environmental impacts.

DATES: Submitting Comments: To ensure that we have adequate time to 
evaluate and incorporate your suggestions and other input, we must 
receive your comments on or before August 12, 2016.
    Public Meetings: We will hold two public scoping meetings in the 
city of Chico, California, on July 27, 2016, to receive written and 
oral comments from the public (see ADDRESSES).

ADDRESSES: Requesting Information and Submitting Comments: To request 
further information or submit written comments, please use one of the 
following methods, and note that your information request or comment is 
in reference to the M&T/Llano Seco Fish Screen Facility Long-Term 
Protection Project.
     U.S. Mail: Craig Isola, Deputy Project Leader, Sacramento 
National Wildlife Refuge Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 752 
County Road 99W, Willows, CA 95988.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: Attn: Craig Isola, (530) 934-7814.
    Public Meetings: The meetings will be held at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at 
the Chico Masonic Family Center, at 1110 W. East Avenue in Chico. At 
least one 1 week prior to each meeting, we will announce exact meeting 
locations and times in local newspapers and on the Internet at http://www.ducks.org/california/california-projects/m-t-llano-seco-fish-screen-project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Craig Isola, Deputy Project Leader 
(530) 934-2801.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The M&T/Llano Seco Fish Screen Facility (pumping facilities) 
provides water from the Sacramento River to agricultural operations on 
the M&T Chico Ranch and Llano Seco Rancho, and to wetlands and 
associated habitats owned or managed by the Service, the CDFW, and 
Llano Seco Rancho. The wetland habitat supports resident and migratory 
waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wetland-dependent and special status 
species. Prior to 1997, operation of the unscreened M&T diversion pumps 
on Big Chico Creek created streamflow reversals that caused entrainment 
and loss of native fish species during migration periods.
    In 1997, as part of an effort to reduce impacts to native 
salmonids, including special status species within the Sacramento River 
Basin, the M&T/Llano Seco Pumping and Fish Screen Facility was 
relocated from Big Chico Creek to the east bank of the Sacramento 
River, just downstream from the confluence of Big Chico Creek. Previous 
operation of the five unscreened M&T diversion pumps on Big Chico Creek 
created streamflow reversals that caused entrainment and subsequent 
loss of juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon during critical downstream 
migration periods. Additionally, flow reversals caused difficulty for 
upstream adult spring-run Chinook salmon migrants in the Sacramento 
River returning to spawn in Big Chico Creek. As part of the relocation, 
the M&T Chico Ranch/Llano Seco Rancho agreed to bypass (i.e., not to 
divert) 40 cubic feet per second of their water rights out of Butte 
Creek during October 1 through June 30, in order to support Butte Creek 
fisheries. In exchange for this bypass, the ranches could access an 
equivalent amount of water from the relocated facility on the 
Sacramento River. This bypass of water

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in Butte Creek and the relocation of the pumping plant from Big Chico 
Creek to the Sacramento River are documented by several signed 
agreements between M&T and Parrot Investment Company, CDFW, and the 
Service, including: Memorandum of Understanding for the Exchange of 
Water between Butte Creek and the Sacramento River (MOU); Agreement for 
the Relocation of M&T/Parrot Pumping Plant Providing for Bypass of 
Flows in Butte Creek (the ``bypass agreement''); and Agreement between 
the United States and M&T Chico Ranch, Incorporated and Parrot 
Investment Company Incorporated, for Exchange of Water From Butte Creek 
for Water From the Sacramento River (``exchange agreement''). The U.S. 
Bureau of Reclamation is also a party to the exchange agreement.
    Since 1997, unforeseen geomorphic changes in the vicinity of the 
facility on the Sacramento River have caused sediment deposition (i.e., 
downstream migration of a gravel bar), posing a significant risk to the 
continued operation of the pumping facilities and to the operation of 
City of Chico's Wastewater Treatment Plant outfall, which is downstream 
of the pumping facilities. To maintain functionality and avoid the 
consequences associated with the continuing sediment deposition in the 
vicinity of the pumping facilities, dredging was carried out in 2001 
and 2007 just upstream of the pumping facilities. In 2007, a temporary 
rock toe and tree revetment for bank protection was installed on a 
1,520-foot stretch of the west side of the river, across from the 
pumping facilities, to prevent further river migration to the west and 
eventual stranding of the pumping facilities. At the time of placement, 
the rock toe revetment was identified as a temporary impact, and 
mitigation was developed to address bank swallow and river meander 
issues. If the revetment is incorporated into the long-term solution, 
or the long-term solution results in permanent loss of bank swallow 
habitat, additional mitigation measures above those put in place for 
the short-term project will be identified and implemented.
    To address these issues, the EIS/EIR will present and analyze a 
range of alternatives that would provide a reliable long-term water 
supply for agricultural lands and the wildlife refuges while protecting 
endangered species and their habitats in the Sacramento River.

Proposed Action

    The Service and CDFW, along with the M&T Chico Ranch and Llano Seco 
Rancho, propose to implement measures to protect and maintain the long-
term viability of the M&T Chico Ranch/Llano Seco Rancho fish screen and 
pumping facility, located at approximately River Mile 192.5 on the 
Sacramento River. Implementation of these measures is intended to 
comply with CDFW and National Marine Fisheries Service water diversion 
fish screen criteria and ensure water supply and delivery 
responsibilities to farmland and Federal and State wildlife areas. 
These areas include the eastern portion of the Llano Seco Rancho, which 
is under conservation easement and is served by the M&T/Llano Seco 
pumping facilities. The facilities provide water from the Sacramento 
River to wetlands and associated habitats owned or managed by the 
Service, CDFW, and Llano Seco Rancho, which create wetland habitat for 
resident and migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wetland 
dependent and special-status species.

Study Area

    The existing pumping facilities are located in Butte County on the 
eastern bank of the Sacramento River, just downstream of the confluence 
of Big Chico Creek and the Sacramento River at River Mile 192.5. The 
rock toe revetment is located across from the existing facilities in 
Glenn County on the west bank of the Sacramento River. It is located on 
the Capay Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge and on 
the adjoining fee-title property owned by Reclamation District 2140 
immediately south of the Capay Unit. The Llano Seco Unit of this 
wildlife refuge is located approximately 7 miles south of the existing 
facilities on the eastern side of the Sacramento River; it receives its 
water supply from the existing pumping facilities.

Alternatives

    Beginning in 2003, an expert panel of engineers and hydrologists 
met with stakeholders to develop and assess alternatives for a long-
term solution that would provide a reliable water supply for 
agriculture lands and the wildlife refuges, and protect endangered 
species and their habitats in the Sacramento River. The panel's 
assessment was presented in six different workshops between 2003 and 
2011, and their work identified a number of technically viable long-
term solution alternatives.
    We will consider a range of alternatives and their impacts in the 
EIS/EIR, including the No Action Alternative. The Service will consider 
the proposed action, which is the development of a long-term strategy 
for dredging sediment from the river upstream of the existing pumping 
facilities and maintaining the rock-toe revetment that exists on the 
west bank of the river. Based on previous planning studies, we will 
analyze the following alternatives to the proposed action in the EIS/
EIR: (1) The installation of nine spur dikes along the west bank of the 
channel to protect the bank from erosive forces, redirect velocities of 
water into the central area of the channel, and prevent downstream 
migration of the gravel bar; (2) development of a strategic plan for 
long-term dredging upstream of the existing facilities, retention of 
the existing rock toe revetment, and modification of the existing 
diversion structure to include cone fish screens; (3) relocation of the 
pumping/fish screen facilities 2,200 feet downstream on the east bank 
of the river and retention of the existing rock toe revetment; (4) 
relocation of the pumping/fish screen facilities 3,600 feet downstream 
on the east bank of the river and retention of the existing rock toe 
revetment; (5) relocation of the M&T pumps and intake to the west bank 
of the Sacramento River; (6) implementation of the two short-term 
dredging actions upstream of the existing facilities that have already 
received approvals from State and Federal regulatory agencies and 
retention of the rock toe revetment; and (7) the no action alternative, 
with implementation of the two short-term dredging actions and with the 
removal of the rock toe revetment. The EIS/EIR will include a detailed 
analysis of the impacts of the proposed action and alternatives. 
Alternatives 1-6 would include mitigation for the long-term placement 
of the rock toe revetment on the west side of the Sacramento River that 
exists under baseline conditions.
    The EIS/EIR will identify and analyze potentially significant 
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the alternatives on 
agricultural resources, air quality, biological resources, climate 
change/greenhouse gas emissions, cultural resources, geology/soils/
mineral resources, hazards/hazardous materials, water resources/
hydrology/water quality, land use/planning, noise, population/housing, 
public services, recreation/open space, socioeconomics, environmental 
justice, traffic/transportation, utilities/service systems, and visual 
resources. The EIS/EIR will also identify mitigation measures for 
adverse environmental effects.

Required Permits

    The agencies that will be involved in the permitting process for 
this action will be dependent on the alternative action pursued. Table 
1 indicates our

[[Page 45298]]

understanding of the regulatory agencies relevant to each alternative 
action.
    The public scoping meetings and public comment period are intended 
to identify the full range of alternative actions and environmental 
issues relating to the proposed project and any additional permits or 
agency approvals required as a result.
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Public Comment

    We are furnishing this notice in accordance with section 1501.7 of 
the NEPA implementing regulations in order to obtain suggestions and 
information from other agencies and the public on the scope of issues 
to be addressed in the EIS/EIR. We invite written comments from 
interested parties to ensure identification of the full range of 
issues.
    We request data, comments, new information, or suggestions from the 
public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific 
community, Tribes, industry, or any other interested party on this 
notice.
    Written comments we receive become part of the public record 
associated with this action. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that the entire comment, including 
your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Public Scoping Meetings

    In addition to providing written comments, the public is encouraged 
to attend a public scoping meeting to provide us with suggestions and 
information on the scope of issues and alternatives to consider when 
drafting the EIS/EIR. See DATES for the dates and times of our public 
meetings.
    The primary purpose of these meetings and public comment period is 
to solicit suggestions and information on the scope of issues and 
alternatives for the Service to consider when drafting the EIS/EIR. 
Written comments will be accepted at the meetings. Comments can also be 
submitted by methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. Once the draft 
EIS/EIR is complete and made available for review, there will be 
additional opportunity for public comment on the content of these 
documents.
    Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and 
participate in the public meetings should contact us at the address 
listed in the ADDRESSES section no later than one week before the 
public meeting. Information regarding this proposed action is available 
in alternative formats upon request. We will accept both oral and 
written comments at the scoping meetings.

NEPA Compliance

    We intend to gather information necessary for preparation of the 
EIS/EIR through this notice and the scoping process.
    We will conduct environmental review in accordance with the 
requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its 
implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other applicable 
regulations, and our procedures for compliance with those regulations. 
The environmental document will be prepared to meet both the 
requirements of NEPA and the California Environmental Quality Act 
(CEQA). The CDFW is the CEQA lead agency. We anticipate that a draft 
EIS/EIR will be available for public review in the spring of 2017.

Alexandra Pitts,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-16543 Filed 7-12-16; 8:45 am]
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